Debt to Pay
by luthien-yavetil
Summary: Bo was just there, right in the car opposite their's... But it was too late. Woody missed out on a chance of a lifetime, thus, it's up to Buzz and Jessie to hunt her down and get him his second chance. But is it even the real Bo to begin with? WxBP BxJ
1. In which Buzz discovers a familiar face

HERE YOU GO! The kinda-sequel for 'Can I Have This Dance?' (A oneshot I made that eventually ended up with four chapters – please read it as well if you have the time!)

And I say 'kinda-sequel' cause it barely refers to the events that happened in that story – this one focuses more on Woody and Bo Peep! … at least, it seemed that way when I was plotting... But ultimately, I ended up writing this with a lot of Bessie involved as well ('Bessie'? WHAT.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story!

* * *

Mr. Potatohead popped his mouth back into his potato and stretched it to a comfortable position. "That was some show-and-tell, huh?" he remarked cheerfully.

"I can't believe Bonnie chose us, of all toys, to be her presentation!" Rex agreed, twirling his arms around in a whirlwind. Despite having lived around children for the most part of a decade, he still had problems keeping up the toy code of secrecy.

Woody helped hoist Dollie onto a seat above a blue toolbox, carefully anchored against the car trunk door to sustain the bumps and tossings of the car ride home. "Thanks, sheriff."

Then she quickly warned to the dinosaur, "Quiet down. Bonnie might hear us."

"Negative, Elder," Buzz reported. With surprising stealth despite his bulk, he balanced easily on the thin ledge against the window. He peered over the leather seats. "Bonnie's fast asleep."

Everyone else grinned at each other. That meant it was safe to talk. Bonnie's mother wouldn't be able to hear them all the way at the driver's seat, especially with the engine running and radio blaring.

"I can't blame her for taking a power nap." Woody brightly hopped on next to Dollie. "It's been a long day… But I suppose it's gonna get longer for you, ain't it, Buzz?" he called to his friend. Buzz faced the other direction, enjoying the view while he had the chance.

"Jessie looked _preeetty _miffed when Bonnie didn't pack her up with the rest of us."

"Huh? She looked pretty?" Buzz asked distractedly. He spotted something, and he couldn't believe his eyes.

Through the window of the car next to them, being held up by a little girl in a baseball cap... was Bo Peep. No doubt about it: her face, her dress, her bonnet, her staff – even her trademark sheep were there, just waiting to be recognized. But strangely, Bo Peep showed no signs of seeing Buzz in the other car, although his position was obvious from her viewpoint. Even just a blink could have sufficed.

Then again, Buzz realized, there could be a reason for that. Maybe she wasn't the 'real' Bo Peep to begin with.

A round of loud, boisterous laughter soon brought him back to his senses. Buzz wheeled around confusedly, somehow sensing that he was the butt of it all. "What'd I say?"

"_Look _at the guy! He's completely clueless!" Mr. Potatohead had himself laughing so hard, his parts were beginning to fall out of their sockets. "_Ahahahaha – _oh shoot, my shoe!"

Rex offered eagerly, "I'll get it!" He began stomping his way over.

"Oh no you don't, ya big junk of plastic! I can do it myself..."

"Why are you all laughing?" Buzz exclaimed exasperatedly.

Woody and Dollie were too busy roaring in laughter at a hopping Potatohead to mind his ignorance. Buzz glanced once more out the window in dismay. The lane next to them had begun its way out of traffic. Bo Peep was getting away!

"Woody!" he shouted urgently to the cowboy. "Get up here!"

Woody managed to tone down to restrained chuckles. Grinning, he shook his head and lifted his hands in protest. "No can do, space ranger," he vowed. "I'm not going to let you punch me down from all the way up there. We have _rights_ to laugh at you. We're just denying yours by not telling you what it's all about."

"This is serious…!" Buzz spun to the window again, but it was too late. The backseat of the car had already disappeared from view, and now the only remaining visible part of it was the trunk's side window.

And that was when the cowboy finally decided to pull up next to his friend. Woody first took in the motionless view of the empty window across theirs, then turned to Buzz with confusion.

Buzz's shoulders sank. Telling Woody about it would be meaningless if he didn't get to see the shepherdess with his own eyes. It wouldn't be enough. At this point, he decided to keep the sighting a secret. The last thing he wanted to do was get his best friend depressed once more over his loss.

Fortunately, Woody had just realized his reflection in the window and was busy taking the opportunity to adjust his hat to notice the anxious look on Buzz's face. He carefully lowered it some centimeters, and then grinned. "Perfect!" he declared.

"So…" He raised an eyebrow at the ranger. "You're not going to punch me down after all? Well then, what was all the fuss about?"

"N-Nothing," Buzz replied hastily and ushered Woody back to the floor of the car. "I, uh… just thought you might've wanted to fix your appearance.

Woody chuckled. "Ah, the woes of having a detachable hat."

"Hey Woody!" loudly interrupted the even more detachable Mr. Potatohead as he reseated himself at his favorite corner. "You heard Hamm's new composition in the harmonica yet? And not that square dance nonsense – the one that sounded more like some polka…"

Woody started towards him, his interest piqued. "Seriously, another one? Wow, Hamm must be on a roll this week…"

For the final time, Buzz helplessly looked out the window. The car had already driven clear of the window, a space made on the road behind it for the oncoming car. Through this space, Buzz spotted something and narrowed his eyes. There was a piece of paper taped to the rear window. And on it were the bold-lettered words: 'For Sale!'

Then an idea struck him like a meteor crash.

Quickly, he memorized the phone number listed beneath the announcement, and then the license plate of the car itself. By the time the next car had driven forward and claimed the space, Buzz knew the sequences like the back of his hand.

As he mulled over the operation piecing together in his mind, he leaped down from to the carpeted floor (unconsciously doing it in the flashiest way possible totally unaware of Dollie's awed clapping to his performance). True, his plan was terribly simple, probably full of holes, and he had absolutely no idea whether he could pull it off in the first place. But he daren't ask for Woody's help, regardless for his knack in strategy-planning.

Nevertheless, it was the best he could do. And Buzz was determined to stick with it to the end, no matter what.

"Buzz, Buzz!" Rex cheered. "That was _sooo _cool! I wish I could do that…!"

"All these years, and you never stopped being a showoff, have you?" Woody called amusedly, before returning to his detailed explanation of the difference between gramophones and iPods for the benefit of Dollie and Mr. Potatohead.

Buzz forced a smile. There had been times he noticed Woody separating from the others, saying how he wanted to be alone while everyone else enjoyed the rare opportunity of interacting without humans. And, one day, Buzz actually followed him to confront about his actions... It wasn't right to see his high-spirited best friend admitting to the miserable pangs of loneliness he felt, or how different life seemed without his special someone by his side.

"It's… not always about me, Woody."

* * *

ALRIGHT, CHAPTER ONE'S IN THE BAAAAG. :P

Uhm... reviews will be appreciated. :D (And reviews that greet my mom 'happy birthday!' shall be even more so!) Seriously, even though I may not seem like it, I always go gaga whenever I see a review alert in my inbox, and I'm stuck smiling for hours... Yes, I'm weird that way. &laughs&

Well, there's school tomorrow! Night, everyone.

(EDIT: I have just discovered beta readers. O_O But I'm still pretty confused on how it works. Anyone out there who can explain it to me? XP)

(EDIT EDIT: OMG. TERK'S A GIRL. [just watched Tarzan again for the first time in 5 years])


	2. In which Jessie gets suspicious

It was really cramped behind the refrigerator. Some might think he was taking secrecy a bit too far; toys rarely entered the kitchen for late night snacks. They lacked the internal organs for it. But sometimes, Chuckles enjoyed watching the moon at the window above the sink, and Buzz'd rather not risk it.

He lowered the volume of the cordless telephone next to him by half. He had taken great lengths to drag it there, and wasn't taking any chances on being heard. It was incredible enough he succeeded in dragging it from the living room; the phone stood just as tall as he was. Heavy too.

He literally punched in the numbers, leaning the phone on the back of the fridge, and pressed his ear to the earpiece, crossing his fingers. To his relief, it began to ring.

The other line was quick to pick up. "_Hello?"_ grumbled a deep man's voice, groggy and sleep-deprived.

"G-Good evening," Buzz responded semi-anxiously. He never spoke to a real human before. It felt weird. "My name is Bu… Bud Frederickson. I come in peace."

"_That's… nice to know_, _Mr. Frederickson. May I know exactly why you're calling at this time?" _

Of course the man would be cranky. It was ten minutes to midnight. _  
_

"R-Right… Right. Certainly." Buzz cleared his throat. "I wanted to inquire about your car. What was it again…?" He pretended to think a moment to appear casual, and then easily recited the license plate he memorized earlier that day.

"_That's her,"_ confirmed the man, suddenly a great deal more energetic.

Buzz raised an eyebrow. "'Her'?"

"_I-I mean, 'it'," _he quickly corrected. _"I should warn you though_. _She's… I mean, it's an awfully old model, and secondhand to boot. You sure you want it in your garage, sir?" _

Awfully trustworthy, this man is, Buzz thought, impressed.

"If you don't mind..." He spoke delicately. This may be the turning point. "May I have another look at it tonight?"

"_Tonight?" _the man asked disdainfully.

Buzz did some very fast thinking. "You see, I'm just passing through town to visit some relatives," he lied. "I might – _might _be able to drive by and have another look at the car before leaving the city."

"_Well, it'll do the both of us good if you did have a second look, but…" _The man hesitated for a moment. Then his voice lit up again.

"_How about this. I'll leave the car parked outside on the driveway, and you can check it out again all you want. But unfortunately…" _He became apologetic. _"I won't be able to meet you tonight, Mr. Frederickson. I have work in the morning, and there are a couple of things in the house that need straightening out." _

Perfect, Buzz thought immediately. He was actually going to suggest that, if the man hadn't thought of it first. Things were playing quite nicely.

"That's perfectly fine with me," Buzz assured. "I'm not even sure I can make it tonight after all, and I wouldn't want to keep you up all night."

_"Then thank you very much, Mr. Fredrickson,"_ gushed the man brightly._ "I'll have the car put out in a few minutes. You can call me again in the morning if you have any more questions… Ah yes, right. The address of my house is at…"_

And that was what Buzz had been waiting for the entire call. He quickly jotted it down on a tiny, tiny piece of paper he prepared: only about a few centimeters big, but just the right size for a toy and a shard of lead from a mechanical pencil.

He finished writing down the address. "Thank you. Until next time, then."

He hung up, and in the next instant guilt began to wash over him. He blatantly lied about wanting to purchase a vehicle. And worse, the seller was genuinely keen to accommodate him. But what other choice did he have? He needed the address of Bo Peep's owner, and that car was going to help him get to her.

"I smell a rat in the kitchen, and it ain't cookin'."

He knocked over the telephone, and lunged before it hit the ground. No doubt it was the one person he had wished (for once) he wouldn't come across the rest of the night.

"No use in tryin' to hide that gizmo behind your back, Buzz," Jessie the cowgirl laughed as she approached the space ranger. "It's as obvious as a bull in the chicken coop from where I'hm standin'."

Buzz attempted to retreat some steps back, but found Bullseye there as well. Oh, the irony. Trapped inside his own hiding place.

"How long have you been _eavesdropping_, Jessie?" Buzz said sternly.

Jessie chuckled. "Hey now, don't have to go soundin' like that. I ain't one to belly through the bush like some criminal, space toy…" Then slowly, she began to lean forward, a mischievous look in her eye. It was the same glint that would appear whenever she approached Bonnie's CD-Player with a ready-made disc, a certain space ranger always within earshot.

Buzz felt his batteries begin to overheat uncomfortably. Her face neared closer and closer…

Then she snatched the paper out of his hand. "Well, well, well," she exclaimed brightly, pulling away in triumph. "What in the wild, wild west do we have here? ... It's pretty dark in here - mind lending a hand, Buzz?"

Having relatively recovered from the 'temptress's sneak attack, Buzz sighed, defeated, and flashed his laser over the paper.

Jessie recited the address out loud with the help of the red light. "34 Abigail Street…" She turned to him questioningly.

Buzz explained, "There's someone I need to see there. It's actually a very important mission for me, and I hope to meet tonight."

She appeared quite taken aback.

"Oh," Jessie said momentarily. "Is that someone… girl or guy?"

"Female," Buzz replied unthinkingly, occupied by how he watched her grip on the paper relaxing at the corner of his eye.

Jessie's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and she opened her mouth to say something. But not a sound came out. She couldn't find the words to describe the strange hurt feeling inside her, and not even a single insult to strike him with. Her grip relaxed even more.

Buzz then seized the opportunity and swiped the address back into his hands.

"Anyway," he said, turning and carefully circling around Bullseye. "Is Trixie at the computer again?"

"Yeah…"

Buzz nodded, looking in the opposite direction and absolutely oblivious to her pains. "Good. See you later."" He quickly left the scene, thinking how relieved he was that Jessie didn't seem mad about him and Bonnie's show-and-tell after all.

Actually, that had been the reason Jessie set out searching for him in the first place. But now the entire situation had changed – that hardly mattered now that Buzz Lightyear seems to have…

Jessie absently brushed Bullseye's mane, uncertainly staring at the spot Buzz had been standing at just seconds ago. "What… What was that, Bullseye?" she said half-distantly. "Is there some other toy aside from me, or…?" She bit her lip.

Bullseye neighed loudly and nudged the bottom of her chin with his head. It was enough to bring the cowgirl a little bit back to her senses. She gazed at him, and he nudged her again.

Then something clicked. She wasn't going to take this lying down.

"You're right," she declared, gently pushing her comrade away. "I ain't some sorta lass coward enough to let her man get away. C'mon, we're gonna round us up one space ranger."

* * *

(&kills herself for inserting obvious Pixar movie references - FREDRICKSON. RAT IN THE KITCHEN. OH MY GAH.&)

I KNOW I PROMISED WOODY AND BO PEEP, BUT I JUST COULDN'T RESIST BESSIE TOO. D: I think the next chapter has a good load of it too… Please bear with me for the meantime.

Oh yeah! I'd really, REALLY, _REALLY _appreciate some criticisms on my writing style, guys. :) If there's room for improvement, I'm willing to go for it, so criticize all you want! Thanks! :D

AH! AND REVIEWS ARE HUGGED AND STORED IN SECRET BOX FOR FUTURE REMINISCING AS WELL. THANKS SO MUCH!


	3. In which Bullseye rolls his eyes

HI GUYS! I've decided to post a chapter before exam week to get it off my chest already. Now I can study in peace… hopefully? &laughs&

* * *

"Alright, it's official. You win," Buzz announced and, defeated, backed away from the keyboard. "I'm no match for your skills."

"What are you cracking about?" laughed Trixie modestly, her blue face flushed purple as she paused typing to converse with him. "It's just Google Street Find, you know."

Buzz shook his head genially. "I will never be able to operate that device as well as you do. Sorry for taking up your time."

"No prob." The dinosaur grinned gleefully, and stretched her stubby arms forward while contentedly seated in her natural element: right before the desktop computer. "BTW, question. Why'd you choose finding a random street address to challenge me?"

The ranger tensed and prepared to dish out a very well-strung lie he took the time to make before he approached the computer whiz. Despite Trixie's happy-go-lucky attitude, there was still the slightest chance of her pertaining his actions odd and going off to tell someone about it. And most likely, what started off as a little rumor from a quirky dinosaur would end up spreading all around Bonnie's bedroom, eventually reaching the ears of the one cowboy he couldn't have knowing anything about it. That was why he was determined to keep all his bases, no matter how small, covered.

He raised a hand as if to prove a point, and opened his mouth to begin reciting from the script in his head.

"Shouldn't you," Trixie continued smoothly from her last sentence, "at least _try _making it a bit harder? Let's say…" She grinned slyly. "Hacking into a government facility?"

Buzz stared, his mouth hanging open speechlessly.

And a few seconds later, the dinosaur burst into hysterics, slamming her paws uncontrollably on the keyboard and quite literally, rolling on the floor laughing.

"She's just messing with you. Don't get too hyped up about it." Buttercup, an off-white talking unicorn toy, trotted over to Buzz, eyeing Trixie bemusedly. "All she does is play RPGs and chatting on YM. She can't even learn CSS, much less how to hack sites."

Buzz replied, "I vaguely understood what you just said, but I'll take your word for it." Still, he glanced uncertainly at the dinosaur one last time. "But… I'd keep an eye on her if I were you, my four-legged friend."

Buttercup rolled his eyes and smirked. "Oh, we'll keep an eye on her. We've been doing that ever since she learned how to connect to Wi-fi."

Minutes later, Buzz left the two to commence his work on the desk by the living room's unguarded window. Fortunately, Bonnie's father had left behind a stack of reference materials for his latest project, angling quite nicely for him to stay quite hidden. Buzz took advantage of the dim light inside the house, sketching hard a map onto a piece of post-it while the image was still fresh in his mind.

Knowing the address was all good and all, but he'd still be completely lost without a map showing exactly how to get to the place. Thankfully, the house he was looking for was still within the vicinity. The outside world was tough to navigate through, especially for one who used to think that the entire world was equivalent to a single bedroom, so at least he knew the mission wouldn't be _too _complicated, already familiar with the patchwork patterns that worked for every road in the village.

He had been so focused on sketching, he didn't notice as Jessie silently walked up next to him.

"Ah… Buzz?"

His hand slipped, and an unwanted pencil line streaked across the paper. "J-Jessie!" he cried. "Did you need something?" After saying that, he did a quick survey of the surrounding area and confirmed only her and Bullseye in the immediate area. Everyone else was well out of earshot and minding their own business. Woody wasn't among them, Buzz noted. He was probably still upstairs in Bonnie's bedroom.

"N-Nothing, really…" Jessie said slowly, sheepishly stroking her braid draped over her shoulder. She forced a small smile on her face. "I was just thinkin'… You're really going to head off tonight, aren't ya?"

"Affirmative." Buzz went through his sketch one more time. He rolled it up, tucked it under an arm, and began towards the window. "I may not be returning until tomorrow morning. Can you cover for me? Under _no _circumstances should anyone know about this mission… just tell them I'm recharging my batteries or something." The phrase was something equivalent to 'sleeping' in their culture, though was exclusively used by those who really did run on batteries.

Bullseye pushed impatiently against Jessie's back.

"Hold yer horses, Bullseye!" Jessie hissed.

The toy stallion snorted at the irony. Then, taking surprisingly great initiative, he neighed loudly.

Buzz paused midway from lifting the window again and looked back questioningly.

Jessie self-consciously stepped forward and tossed her braid back over her shoulder. "Err… Mind if I tag along, pardner?"

The space ranger broke out into a huge smile. "Would I? Of course I wouldn't mi…" Realizing something, his features clouded. He turned to the side and began to speak in a much softer tone. "Actually, I'd rather if you… didn't…"

The cowgirl hung her head, her hat obscuring his view of her face. Which was just as well, since Buzz wasn't sure if he could take seeing her disappointed over something he said.

"D-Don't take it personally, Jessie," he stammered, in his haste releasing the window with a 'slam!' as he turned to face her. "It's just that you'll be a distraction during my mission, and I…!"

Jessie raised her head slowly, going over what he said once more in her mind. A genuine grin found its way on her face. "I'm a… 'distraction'?"

And after seeing the immediate look on his face, her question was answered. Nevertheless, Buzz recovered quickly and desperately tried to save his space soldier image by straightening his back and holding his chin up in a dignified position. "I-I d-didn't… I-I didn't mean it t-that way!" But the stuttering gave him away as well.

It was painfully clear that Jessie the cowgirl had Buzz Lightyear wrapped around her little finger… and she was relieved she had nothing to worry about after all. She brought a hand to her chest and sighed deeply. Bullseye trotted up a few paces and nudged her side in an 'I-told-you-so' manner. Jessie glanced briefly at her trusty steed and stuck out her tongue.

Then she returned her attention to the flustered space man in front of her. "'Fraid there's not much you can do about it, Buzz," she said smoothly. She tipped her hat to him in amusement. "Distraction or not, I'm gonna have'ta go with you."

"W-Why so?"

A grave shadow overcame her face. "You may be prepared, and you may have a map…" she began quietly. Then she raised her boot a few inches off the ground and held a hand to it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But it wouldn't be much of an adventure if you go explorin' without your _Boots_, Spanish-boy."

He could have collapsed to the ground then and there if he hadn't brought his head to his hands first. "… Jessie. Just because Bonnie has started to watch Dora the Explorer doesn't mean that…"He rubbed his forehead in frustrated manner. Long and wearing debates had arisen from discussions like these among toys, and, whether or not he enjoyed participating in them, he still had a mission to accomplish.

He lowered his hand and said in a low voice, "Are you sure you want to do this? Abigail Street's at the other end of the village." He took the rolled map into his hand, crumpling it slightly in his fist. "I… don't want to put you under any danger unless I have to."

Only then Jessie finally understood his intentions. She rolled her eyes. So he was thinking about her sake all over again.

Jessie walked over and took his free hand in hers. "Then I'll just have to be extra careful, now don't I?" Her tone was warm, but her eyes attested that she was telling him the truth. "I won't let anything to happen to me. I know the feeling of loneliness when you lose your special someone all too well…" Her hand tightened around his. "And there's no way in the whole wide world I'm gonna let my favorite space toy experience the same anytime soon."

Buzz managed to smile back, and for a moment he believed in all she had to say. He was also a bit embarrassed, but that was beside the point. He finally gave in and the two of them, hand in hand, returned to the window to finally get started on the actual journey.

While Buzz worked to get the window open, Jessie gave some last-minute instructions to Bullseye. "Alright, like what Buzz said a while back, you're gonna have to cover for us while we're gone… Hey, what's this 'mission' all about, anyway? And who's that girl you mentioned, eh?"

"I'll tell you along the way."

"Aww, fine… Well, just make sure that, if they notice, they wouldn't get too worked up about it." She also leaned forward to Bullseye's ear, smirking mischievously, and whispered, "If you want, go ahead and make something up… like Buzz going to Al's Toy Barn to teach the other Buzzes how to salsa!"

Then it was Bullseye's turn to roll his eyes, and, before Jessie could pull away, he lightly brushed her cheek against his. It was his way of saying 'Good luck'.

Jessie wrapped her arms around his neck and patted his head. "I will," she said softly. "And… thanks for the help earlier, buddy." The hairs on his neck bristled, acknowledging her thanks.

After she released him, Bullseye neighed again to communicate the same well wishes to Buzz.

"We'll do our best," Buzz replied appreciatively. Then he motioned Jessie to hurry up and go out the window he propped open.

"Ladies first."

* * *

AN ANNOUNCEMENT!

I have this new poll on my profile wherein you can vote on the story you think I should have the most priority on finishing. It's kind of like a race – whichever story's in the lead, that's the one I have to work on at the time. So if you all like Debt to Pay (which I hope you do), how about voting for it? Another one of my stories (A Year in Canada) seems to be getting a lot of votes too…

Again, REVIEW AND CRITIQUES ARE APPRECIATED, REQUESTED, AND VERY MUCH LOVED. They're actually my motivation… I get REALLY slow at updating if I think that no one's interested in my stories anymore…


	4. In which Bo Peep finally appears

Hallo there fellas and gals! Well, I have two more exams waiting for me on Monday, but since it's Saturday right now, I figured I might as well get a chapter posted (good news for you, procrastination for me. Ahh, equivalent exchange?). But there's still bad news, unfortunately. You can read more about it at the end of this chapter. Until then, enjoy reading!

* * *

It took them at least two hours, but they finally reached 34 Abigail Street dirty, exhausted, but triumphant. The house resembled the average two-storey suburban residence. But Buzz knew they got the right place. He knew, because of the very black minivan resting on the driveway.

First, Buzz perched on a car wheel, precariously granting Jessie a lift on his shoulders to peer inside the car through a backseat window. They figured to check, before anything else, the interior of the car. There was always the off chance Bo might've been left behind by accident. They had enough experience with Bonnie and Andy dozing off in long car rides and getting carried inside by parents, and many a time a toy would end up left behind and spending the night in the back seat.

"You should'a told me you were going after Bo Peep in the first place!" Jessie whispered downwards as she scanned the car seats and the carpet. She managed to squeeze the entire story from him when they hitched a ride on a car bumper on the way here.

"Hm?" Buzz was struggling to keep her steady. "Why do you say that?"

"Aww, nevermind…!"

She jumped down. Buzz maneuvered to the ground after her and asked, "Did you see her?"

"Not a sign," she sighed glumly.

Then simultaneously, they turned to face the house.

"Which means she must be somewhere in there, huh?" Jessie said.

"And which means we're going in," Buzz announced determinedly. He started towards the drain pipe hanging by the left-hand corner of the house. It made an ideal climb, right next to a first-floor window about four feet from the ground.

"Wait, Buzz." Jessie held him back with a puzzled frown. "How're we supposed to get her back to Bonnie's place? Bo's different from us. She can't go through what we did to get here…"

Bo Peep was a ceramic ornament of a table lamp. If they weren't _extremely_ careful, then there was the very likely chance of her shattering. The risks were sky-high, despite their right intentions.

Buzz smiled that she was taking things as seriously as he was. "We're not going to take her away from this house," he explained patiently. "We just need to confirm her identity. Once we're sure it's the real Bo Peep, we can visit her again another time, and in that time accompanied by Woody. If she's not the Bo Peep we're hoping it to be…" He grimaced and shrugged his shoulders. "At… least we tried."

Jessie lightly punched his arm. "You're too nice for your own good, buster."

"H-Hey…!"

In a few minutes they were in the house thanks to the window, which brought them into the living room. Or, at least, they thought it was the living room. Faint beams of moonlight shone from behind them, enough to have them realize that they could hardly see any furniture.

All the room contained was the coffee-stained table underneath the windowsill and a short bookshelf at the corner, near it a door to a connecting hallway. At least a couple of objects assured them the presence of human activity: a dirty plate lying on the table, and five thick books aligned at the lowest shelf. But aside from that, the room was as bare as a dried-up lake.

"Not much, is it?" Jessie commented dryly, a bit put off after expecting an exciting (and possibly dangerous, as Buzz had warned her) adventure. She watched the space ranger execute an impressive leap and rolling technique to transfer from the table to the carpeted floor without damaging his plastic suit. "You sure this is the right place?"

"He parked the car outside, so it must be," Buzz reminded her, although his thoughts had mirrored the exact same thing. He proceeded to gallantly catch Jessie as she too jumped down and laid her down safely next to him.

As they traveled across the carpet, he discovered another thing that struck him as strange. The place was dead quiet. That was wrong. Usually, toys would pick this time of night to come alive and take the opportunity to stretch their gears and joints in preparation for tomorrow's playtime. And since they obviously couldn't host their noisy antics in the bedrooms where humans slept, the living room was a perfect place to have one of those breaks. But not a squeak, whir, or rustle could be heard. It was almost eerie.

Perhaps it's just one of those nights, Buzz mentally reasoned as he led the way towards the corridor. Or _maybe_ they could have noticed the intruders and went into hiding... He stopped. No. Buzz was certain of it. He could feel the foreboding presence of someone watching them.

"Jessie, stay close. This could be enemy territory."

"Hey Buzz, check this out!"

Buzz wheeled around and found the cowgirl by the bookshelf, examining the titles before her. A sharp sensation pierced him at the back, as if one of his batteries just short circuited. He had a very bad feeling about this...

"They're all by the same guy," she remarked thoughtfully. "This guy must be a big fan…"

Then in the next split second the books spilled out to the carpet, and an anticipating space ranger readily yanked Jessie out of the way. He reflexively reverted to defensive position, aiming his wrist laser threateningly at the strange, humanoid stepping out of the shelf.

The toy eyed them both with interest and caution. He was dressed in green camouflage uniform. An army man?

Buzz spoke first. "Friend?" he demanded. "Or foe?"

The toy's eyes widened slightly in surprise, like he had no idea they could talk. Then his shoulders relaxed, and he showed them a friendly smile. "Friend."

Buzz warily lowered his arm.

Then with incredible speed, the toy suddenly grabbed Jessie in a painful headlock, straining her upwards that she had no choice but to tip-toe. Jessie tried to yell, but the toy tightened his grip to the point that no sound could come out of her throat.

"I'll give you ten seconds to go back out that window you came from!" exclaimed the toy violently. "Only then I'll release her. Kapeesh?"

The angry space ranger tried a step forward, and the toy increased his strength drastically. Jessie began choking, and her eyes filled with panic. In that moment, Buzz's anger gave way into fear. The toy was serious about this.

There was no other way around it. Buzz silently and unwillingly began his retreat towards the window. And behind him, he could sense the despicable toy smirking in triumph. It must've surprised him how easy it was to influence Buzz Lightyear.

That was the same time he foolishly let down his guard. The astronaut lunged at him in an instant, shoving Jessie to safety before initiating all the martial arts knowledge he could remember since his programming.

"You alright?" he called to Jessie as he ended the melee, pinning the enemy's hands over his back with one knee and both hands yanking his feet all the way back. There was no way he could wiggle out of this.

Jessie didn't reply at first, bending over on her knees as she hacked and gasped for air. "Y-Yeah," she finally responded, and weakly looked around for her hat that fell off in the struggle.

An intense wave of relief washed over Buzz, though he made sure not to let this weaken his hold on their enemy.

"Told you. Distraction."

"Shut yer trap… Darn my socks and bowtie, I can't find my hat…!"

"_Matt?" _

The cowgirl and the space ranger froze. The voice wasn't coming from any of the three of them, but rather the hallway just meters away.

"_What was all that noise? Are you… talking to someone?" _

Buzz forced the toy's head even closer to the ground, a threat not to call out. The voice grew louder and louder as the owner neared. He and Jessie shared anxious looks, both recognizing the voice but afraid to match it.

Experience taught them that toys of the same type, like Buzz and Awesome-Utility Belt-Impostor Buzz, also shared the same voice. But it didn't mean they were the same person. What they were to find out in the next minute was to be the climax of the night. It could be either the greatest coincidence a toy could ever hope to experience, or the saddest let down for a toy that just wanted to make his best friend happy.

And then, a beautiful porcelain toy in a pink dress emerged at the door, carrying an upright staff in her arms. Her eyes widened, and she stared first at the two toys wresting on the ground, then at the cowgirl frozen on her feet and anxiously stroking her braid. All eyes returned her gaze, and none of the three dared to speak.

Bo Peep frowned disbelievingly and bent her head to the side. "Who are you two?"

* * *

Meanwhile, it didn't take long for Woody to realize something was up. The cordless telephone was missing from its slot downstairs, and Bullseye seemed to be avoiding him like the plague. From that, he also realized that the cowgirl usually with the toy horse had suddenly disappeared. And, now that he thought about it, so did a certain space toy.

He eventually managed to confront Bullseye by interrupting his talk with Buttercup ("So you can only neigh, huh?").

"'Scuse me," Woody intervened, walking up from Bulleye's blind spot so that he could join the conversation before he could away. "But hey Bulleye, you've seen Buzz or Jessie anywhere?"

The horse quickly averted his gaze. In the abruptness, he seemed to have forgotten every excuse given to him before Buzz and Jessie departed for their mission.

"Bulleye…"

"Those two? Maybe they've eloped," Buttercup joked.

Woody chuckled. "Nah, I don't think Buzz even knows the meaning of the word. Now seriously, Bullseye. You have any idea?"

Bullseye tapped his hind feet restlessly, and neighed, 'No, what are you talking about, Woody, they're probably somewhere around the house, hahaha'.

Woody knew very well the personalities of his closest friends, and had a pretty good read on his stand at that point. Bullseye knew something, but there was no way he was ever going to spill. He was, after all, a 'loyal steed'. The Sheriff would just be better off giving up. The cowboy sighed.

Then Buttercup spoke again. "Hey," he said slowly. "Now that I think about it, I _did _see Buzz around an hour ago at the computer with Trixie. You can ask her."

A look of terror overcame Bullseye's face, and Woody broke out into a grin.

"Oh really? Thanks, Buttercup. I'll look into it."

He dashed off before the stallion could even think of stopping him. Something strange was up in the air, and he was determined to find out what.

* * *

EDIT: I edited this chapter a bit – sort of a 'clean-up'. Or 'revising'. Haha XP My sister is currently sitting next to me and telling me all about Dragon Age. I have to go now and listen to her. Oh, she's noticed what I'm typing. She's reading it. Hm. Jess, can you repeat what you just said? (frolics off with older sister)


	5. In which they find out the truth

GUYYYYS I UPDATED!  
Thanks for being so patient with me, everyone… I know, I'm a terrible updater, and I'm also kind of annoying with all my selfish requests from you guys… I can see how terrible I sounded in that last A/N… ;_;  
Well anyway, enough of that. Here you go! Hope you have fun with this chapter! (By the way, I find the ending of this chappy pretty intense, so to maintain that I'm going to skip the ending A/N ask you to RxR here. :PPP Please and thank you?)

* * *

Everything had gone quiet after that. There really wasn't much to say, after all. All they could do was to explain the misunderstanding and apologize.

"Oh, that poor, poor toy," Bo Peep gasped, bringing a petite, porcelain hand to her mouth.

Even though she was completely the wrong figurine, it didn't stop her from emitting the same sincere sadness that they could've imagined from the real Bo Peep. Granted, it was dark, and the only source of light from moonlight and a faint glow from Buzz… but somehow, just her tone of voice was enough to convince them her sympathy was genuine. Strangely, it just made them feel even more terrible.

"What he must be going through... But, I must say, it… it must be hard for him."

"You have no idea." Jessie sighed and shook her head. "Well, anyhow, thanks a ton for bein' so understanding about this… We were technically breaking and entering, weren't we, Buzz?"

Buzz shifted uncomfortably. "Although it pains me to admit it… Yes, we were. I suppose that…" He trailed off then shook his head. "No. Never mind. We shouldn't have any excuses for this."

"'Suppose' what?" asked military toy-issued Matt Medic. His title became more apparent once they noticed a slingbag hanging near his waist with a red cross on it. He turned out much nicer after Bo had yanked him out from Buzz's wrestling lock with her shepherdess staff, sending the latter tumbling halfway across the carpet earlier on.

Buzz hesitated, but eventually relented. After all the trouble they caused, they deserved to know. "I must've been too overexcited, that I failed to think of the consequences. It was purely my…"

"Don't go short-tailin' me there, Buzz," Jessie chided with a half-smile. "I was pretty hyped up about this whole thing too. Remember when you and the other fellas went to rescue Woody from that mean fat Al? Well, I think I know now what you were feeling."

She sighed longingly. "I miss my best gal-pal. It would've been the best thing ever if our Bo turned out to be at the end of this darn scavenger hunt…"

"Jessie… We have to get going," Buzz said sadly. He turned his attention back to the other two, and, with a wary glance at Matt, outstretched his hand as a gesture of farewell.

Bo said, "Will we –"

Buzz shook his head and forced an encouraging smile. "Don't worry. This will definitely be the last you're ever going to see of us. We wouldn't want to cause any more trouble."

Surprisingly, Matt grabbed and shook Buzz's hand with an unexpected amount of gusto. "Pity. I haven't wrestled with anyone in a while, and you made an excellent sparring partner. Sorry again for earlier, little lady," he also said to Jessie. "Do you guys need an escort, or…?"

"No, we're fine by _ourselves_," Buzz replied coldly, still unable to forgive the guy after what he did to the love of his life.

Next, he looked to Bo to shake her hand, and saw her head was bent and she had gone very, very quiet. He realized how unintentionally insensitive they sounded, going on about some other Bo Peep, treating the present one like she failed all their expectations. She was a nice toy, and did not deserve this.

"Ma'am, please don't feel that way. You did nothing wrong," Buzz insisted.

Bo raised her head abruptly. "N-No, I… Well…" She went speechless for a while, miming her hands around as she was unable to interpret her meaning. Finally, she settled on silence, and took a step forth to exchange her farewell handshake, when…

_Cra-ummmp. _

"My hat!" Jessie cried and practically threw herself down at Bo Peep's feet. Bo gave a small shriek and instinctively lifted her foot like she had just stepped on a toy-sized version of a rat. Jessie kneeled next to her, clutching her hat to her chest as if she needed it to breathe. Then it struck her how she must've looked like to the rest, and apologetically looked up at the shepherdess.

"Sorry 'bout that, miss, err… Well, you see, any self-respectin' cowgirl can't go losing her hat, see, so –" Jessie suddenly stopped talking.

Buzz knew her expression had changed, but it was too dark to interpret it clearly. He immediately took the worst-case scenario option. "Jessie? What's wrong?"

"N-Nuthin'," she replied, hastily getting to her feet. She cleared her throat and spoke quickly. "Well, it's getting pretty late, I'd hate to keep these guys, what say we start headin' back home now, Buzz?"

* * *

They had walked down a good half of the front lawn when Jessie finally tugged Buzz's arm to stop him. "Buzz, we can't go home just yet," she said urgently.

"Why not?"

Buzz groaned. That question did not come from him.

The two toys turned their heads to the nearby oak tree, where a certain rag-doll cowboy had set up a sort of hidden camp within the roots, his arms folded as he relaxed on a comfy pile of dried leaves. He wasn't angry. More like exasperated.

Woody held up a hand, stopping them from speech. "Wait, before you answer that question, get over here. We can't have humans spotting us and thinking they've gone insane. I've gotten Slinky and the Potatoheads to cover up for me with Bonnie, so I've got _aaaaall_ night to listen to your explanations."

Buzz and Jessie shared anxious looks.

Woody narrowed his eyes. "And they'd better be good."

* * *

Matt Medic escorted Bo Peep to their owner's room, both moving with the silence of experience. They stood at the bedside table, the last place the owner put Bo before falling asleep. The child had forgotten Matt downstairs in the living room, so it was his job to get back there to be found by tomorrow morning.

But first, they both couldn't help just standing there for a while, watching their precious owner, illuminated by a nightlight. A sweet little girl breathing softly and slowly under her warm covers.

Even in this state, just seeing her owner so serene was more than enough for Bo Peep. She wanted it to be more than enough. She closed her eyes and tried to forget.

But almost instantly, someone emerged in the darkness. It had been years since she last heard about him, and since then hoped she never would. But tonight, she finally heard his name, and it burst into a powerfully painful beating in her chest. It was horrible.

She felt to her knees and sobbed, wrapping her arms tight around her staff, hugging someone that wasn't there and never will be.

Matt Medic watched her with obvious pity, but did not lift a finger. He knew there was nothing he could do to comfort her. But even so, there was something killing him, and he just couldn't hold back his curiosity.

"So… Why did you lie to your friends?"


	6. In which Woody gets his answers

Words could not explain how difficult the situation for Buzz and Jessie had become. Buzz tried to sell how he witnessed a stray meteor and believed it to fall somewhere in the area. The discovery could change the world for _millennia _if it turned out to be the missing link to aliens. He simply _had _to see it. And Jessie tagged along.

Woody wasn't buying any of it.

"Then if that was the case, you wouldn't have needed a specific address from Trixie, hmm?" Woody folded his arms. He was very good at being suspicious. It may have been the aftereffects of his paranoia since the first movie.

"Oh, I give up," Jessie finally groaned. "Buzz, we _have _to tell him!"

Buzz flashed an alarmed look. Woody smiled. Finally, things were rolling his way.

Thus, Jessie told Woody _everything. _How Buzz had spotted a very familiar toy on the way home from Sunnyside, and how he managed to track it all the way here. By the time she was telling him about the encounter with Matt Medic, Buzz felt compelled to walk over to a tree root and start banging his head against it.

So, he did.

"Hold on," Woody interrupted as he dragged his best friend away before significant head trauma could transform him to Spanish Mode. Buzz, weakly but defiantly, kept marching his legs to try and continue his self-abuse. "You still haven't told me exactly _who _you're chasing."

Jessie hardly batted an eyelash. "Mr. Spell."

Woody released Buzz just so he could slap a hand on his face. Buzz stumbled, but once he got a firm foot down he wheeled around to stare at Jessie in disbelief. She winked.

Woody removed the hand from his face and tried to sound as patient as possible. "I'd hate to break this to you, fellas, but back in the day they mass-produced Mr. Spells all over the country. It was way before your time, Buzz, so I guess it explains your reaction."

Then he frowned and put his hands at his waist. "But I expected better of you, Jess. You should've told him that right away."

Jessie hung her head convincingly.

"But…" Woody looked a little hopeful. "Was it Mr. Spell?"

"Sorry, Woody…"

Woody sighed and shrugged and smiled. "Never mind," he said brightly and reassuringly patted Jessie on the back. "What's important is that you guys are okay." He meant it.

"You worry too much, '_dad_'," Buzz teased as he brushed some tree bark off his forehead. He was mentally rejoicing at the cleverness of cowgirls at that point, so it wasn't hard to keep up a smirk.

Woody grinned back at him. "'Dad'? Really? Great. Then you're grounded, mister. If I didn't watch out for you guys, then no one will."

He looked up at the sky, yawned, and stretched his arms. "But the adventure's over. Let's head home, shall we? There's a kid waiting for us."

While Woody was first to start climbing out of the hiding hole, Jessie quickly whispered in Buzz's ear. "Buzz, she's Bo Peep. _Our _Bo Peep. I saw Molly's name under her dress."

"What? Jessie, it was dark, and –"

"No, I couldn't have imagined it. Buzz, I _know_ that handwriting. Andy wrote his sister's name because she was too young to do it herself. There's _no way_ I'd make a mistake like that."

"Then this is perfect, isn't it?" Buzz whispered back, his face lighting up more than ever. "Woody's already here. Why didn't you just say so? We could've brought them together fifteen minutes ago."

"_Be-cause," _Jessie emphasized desperately. Woody was almost out, and in any minute he could turn around and catch them conspiring.

"I _know_ Bo. She wouldn't hide from us if she didn't have good reason to. What, would you want to bring Woody right up to her, and _she'll _have to do all the lying to him? It will break her heart! No, better off we get rid of Sheriff here and find out whatever's bothering Bo. Maybe once it's fixed, they could get together properly."

"Oh… hello."

The two froze. Woody had gotten out, but the root ledge he climbed over obscured the view.

"Of all the luck in the world…" muttered Jessie as they got on their toes to peer over the root.

Matt Medic and Sheriff Woody stood facing one another, both bewildered and not quite sure what to make of the other.

"I thought that I'd find – oh, there you are." Matt had spotted Buzz and Jessie watching them like wary animals. He started addressing them. "Is this a friend of yours?"

The cowboy did not like to be ignored. "Yes, I am. Name's Sheriff Woody, though you can call me Woody." He held out his hand, reasonably anxious after what Jessie told him about this toy.

"Matt Medic. Call me Matt. Pleased to meet you."

Matt seemed to be carrying some stiff papers, which he put under one arm so he could shake Woody's hand with his free one. Woody noticed.

"What's that you've got there?"

Matt glanced hurriedly behind him, as if afraid someone may be watching. "Some pictures. I was hoping these could explain more about her… situation."

Woody turned his head and saw the despairing faces of the cowgirl and the astronaut. He frowned and turned back to Matt. "'Her_' _situation?"

Matt nodded and handed the photographs to Woody. The moon was bright enough outside to make out the images with a surprising clarity. Buzz and Jessie scrambled over as fast as they could, fearing the worst. Just as they got there, Woody raised his head and stared at Matt with wide eyes.

"I don't know what to say… Matt, I'm sincerely sorry. Really."

Buzz looked around, first at Jessie, to Woody, to Matt Medic. He said exasperatedly, "I'm not quite sure what's going on anymore."

Woody beckoned them over, and over his shoulder the toys discovered a scene that brought Jessie's hand to her mouth, and for Buzz to wince and look away.

There were no toys in this picture. It was a small, white hospital room. At the center of the frame, a bed, on which a little girl was sleeping peacefully, the covers down for she had kicked them off. She was bald. A thin tube was attached to her arm, pumping something into her vein from something off-photo.

But the worst of it were the bruises. Dark purple and painful bruises ran up one of her legs to the hem of her hospital gown.

"What happened to her?" Jessie asked quietly.

"She tripped. That's all." Matt replied just as softly. A dark look clouded his features, and suddenly he looked tired and worried. His shoulders shuddered as he sighed.

"Leukemia does that to a person."

* * *

Okay, I know that I am starting to delve into tender topics here. Leukemia is serious business, and I do not want to make it sound any less serious than it really is. So I have a favor to ask you, readers: if you have experience with leukemia, for example, a friend or a family member, I would appreciate it if you pointed out any inconsistencies in the symptoms I've given this revealed character. I don't want to offend anyone, but I'm finding research confusing through Google, so I turn to you. Thank you.

On a lighter note, I've finished Portal 2 and it is magnificent. No kidding. But it's weird – I've been watching episodes of Rugrats, and I've gotten ideas to combine them together. Ohh, portals.

(Edit: I keep forgetting to put the divider between the text and the A/N, stupid me. &boink&)


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